But Not for Me (1959)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

People are voting emotionally.

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

A theatrical producer, Russ Ward, is facing a crisis. His last plays have not fared well with the public, and a new project by a well known playwright, who is facing a writing crisis, makes life impossible for Ward. When he thinks everything is lost, he gets an unexpected help by his own secretary, Elly, who on top of that, has loved him silently. Elly has an idea that might help the play, and is an inspiration because she, too, can act.To complicate matters, Kathryn, Russ's former wife, figures the romance from the younger woman toward her ex-husband, and although they have remained in friendly terms, she does not appear to be happy with their possible union. As the play opens, it becomes a hit, and Gordon, the leading man, who has loved Elly, all along, finds a way to her heart even though she is still thinking about Russ. Everything is resolved at the end when Elly realizes that Gordon really cares for her.The source of this comedy was a play by Samson Raphaelson, and adapted for the screen by John Mitchell Hayes. The direction is by Walter Lang, a veteran of Hollywood, who had a long career in the industry. The basic flaw with the film was the casting of Carroll Baker, who had made a sensation in Elia Kazan's "Baby Doll". She was terribly miscast as Elly, resulting in a dull reading of her character. On the other hand, Lilli Palmer makes a delicious appearance and almost steal the film, had her role been bigger. Clark Gable is not too convincing as Russ Ward, or Lee J. Cobb, one of the best actors of the American cinema, is also wasted. Charles Lane, and Thomas Gomez have some good moments.

Clark Gable, in one of his final film roles, plays a theatrical producer fighting off the unwanted affections of his smitten juvenile secretary, later using his predicament as the basis for a new play. Odd to find latter-day Gable in such an outright piece of fluff; he looks a little unsure of himself initially, but eventually locates the spirit of the piece and warms up midway. As the lovestruck working girl, Carroll Baker is sweet yet also rather stiff, and her hair and clothes don't seem to match her age (she doesn't look like what other young ladies of this period might look like). Remake of 1935's "Accent on Youth" is hackneyed and coy, but the cast (including Lilli Palmer and Lee J. Cobb) manage to sell it despite shortcomings in the material and the handling. **1/2 from ****

This movie is a sweet light hearted comedy. You should watch it twice if possible. Once to just see it and the second time to get the parts you missed the first time through. The story could be set in most any time frame or city with minor variations. It is a traditional tale of the good looking male who is beginning to feel a little 'past it' and a beautiful younger female with a major crush on him. There is a nicely balancing, very attractive, other woman of his own age who 'understands' only too well. There are a number of variations that thicken the plot - some are for laughter, some are for romance. This particular cast of actors and actresses fill their parts delightfully well. The many supporting character parts only add to the enjoyment of the movie. I truly enjoy the musical score, especially the title song "But Not for Me", and the way it is worked through the movie.

In one of his last films, Clark Gable portrays an entertainment executive who decides to regain lost youth by having a love affair with his young secretary (Carroll Baker). The film has its flaws and it's certainly no "Gone With The Wind" but Gable still manages to give an excellent performance here.